From the studio that brought you tear-jerkers like Inside Out or every Toy Story movie in existence, Elemental follows the Pixar trend of zany concepts with human emotion driving the plot. The story follow Ember, an immigrant fire element, and Wade, a bumbling water element who’s just trying his best. It’s a mix of several concepts that Pixar has dealt with before with some experimental story ideas thrown into the mix.
Cinematography (6/10)
The visuals for this movie were on par for the studio’s level of quality they normally produce. The focus they put on realistic elemental effects, while still existing in an animated world, didn’t go unnoticed. They could’ve done more with showing a variety of elements reacting to each other. Other than that, no complaints on that point.
Yet, none of the cinematography felt groundbreaking in contrast to their other films. The character designs were not that impressive, and were a little too goofy to be able to suspend my disbelief for the topic at hand.
Hyper-realistic computer animated graphics as an art medium are a tired and overdone animation method at this point. I don’t see mainstream studios going back to 2D for both financial and logistics reasons. Although, I do think that this film might have benefitted from the flexibility of that method.
Sound design/ music score (6/10)
Sound design was good for this film. At no point did it feel like a foley sound was out of place for the actions that were happening on screen. As for the music score itself I also thought it was solid. The “cultural” songs and motifs for the fire elements were cool. I understand that the other elements have been living in a homogenized culture for a while. So, it wouldn’t make sense for them to be as rooted in their original traditions. But, having musical motifs for them as well would’ve also been interesting.
The pop song they chose to close out the movie’s credits was “Steal the Show” sung by Lauv. While an enjoyable beat to listen to, it felt somewhat out of place with the rest of the soundtrack. It had no similarities to the sounds of the music score that made the film unique. It would have helped to round out the film if that was considered.
Acting Performance (4/10)
I am unsure how much of this score is being dictated by the acting or the script if I’m being honest. The characters were fine, and most of them stayed consistent throughout the movie. There would be points where the dialogue would go from raw emotions to rehearsed lines that always lead up to awful element puns. I don’t know how they expected the audience to take it seriously at times. It was frustrating, to say the least.
On a more positive note, I did not notice any A-list celebrities in the cast this time around. It was a nice change of pace. I’m over the trend of casting traditional actors in voice acting roles that Hollywood likes to do so much. That said, they should’ve casted an actor for Wade that would know how to convey subtle emotions. The transition from sopping-wet loser to stable boyfriend material was awkward. Other than that the casting was solid.
Story (4/10)
I like the idea of people using the medium of animation to discuss complex topics with its audience. Many studios have done this with great success; Pixar is not one of them, and this film is no exception. A first generation immigrant navigating their relationship with their family is an important story to share. I appreciate that they at least tried to give that discussion its due. Yet, the plot was half-baked, corny, and far too quick-paced to do it any favors.
There is inconsistent character progression between the two lead characters. While Wade seems to have his act together forty minutes in, Ember is slower to come into her own. Which is funny, considering her progression is more believable than his. I would say timing is this movie’s biggest killer on many fronts. The script needed more time in the writer’s room to create a smoother flow of dialogue. I also believe the format of a serialized tv show would have been a more fitting pace for the story than a two hour film.
Movie Rating (5/10)
While I may have been harsh for this film rating, I do think that the concept of film that they portrayed was good. I also believe that if given the time it needed it could have been one of Pixar’s better films. That said, the execution of this idea felt stilted and awkward, and I would not want to sit through it again. But, it may be that I am not the target demographic for a children’s movie, and my nostalgia for Pixar productions did not carry over into their newer works.
Rebecca Starke
Student Writer - Fall 2023
Rebecca Starke has been a full-time student of Gulf Coast State College since 2019. She has an Associate of Science degree in Digital Media and is working on her Bachelors degree in the same field. She has been working with Commodore Productions as a Student Assistant since 2020, and had a brief stint as an E-board officer of the Student Government Association during that time as well.
